MERIT BADGE INFORMATION
____________
| Calendars |
| Membership |
| Merit Badge Information |
| Fundraising |
| Adult Training |
| Documents |
| Photo Blog |
| Vendors |
| Contact us |
| Mission Statement |
| Site Map |
| Guestbook |
| Forums (deactivated) |
| Recommended Links |
About Merit Badge Days
Throughout the year there will be numerous special calendar days set aside for scouts to participate in acquiring merit badges. This almost always falls on a Saturday. Merit badge days are wonderful opportunities for your scout to participate in this vital part of scouting. Please be aware that Troop 723 can test a scout before awarding the badge to validate the learning.
To read how the Merit Badge Day process works go to this page: Merit Badge Day Process
Upcoming Merit Badge Days
Troop 22 Merit Badge Day
Date: May 2, 2009
Location: LDS Church, 3401 S. Greenville St., Santa Ana.
Registration is on a first-come basis.
For More Information and to Sign-up download the Troop 22 MBD Flyer
More Information on Merit Badges
Earning a merit badge is a vital part of the scout experience. It offers many benefits. Here are some of the benefits:
- It may force the scout to learn a new subject that he otherwise would not decide to learn on his own.
- It may show the scout whether a related job field is interesting or not.
- Definitely expands the boys knowledge of a particular subject.
- The process of acquiring a merit badge is presented/outlined in a form that in some respects parallels the process used in college to learn a subject or conduct a research or project.
- Some of the merit badges are just down right fun.
- The collection of merit badges builds self esteem.
- Each badge is a token of advancement. The merit badge sash shows how far the scout has progressed in the merit badge part of scouting. Each badge is a trophy of sorts.
- Each merit badge may have a story. Part of life is looking back at remembrances. When a merit badge is handed out to the scout at the court of honor it is traditional, in our troop, that the scout be asked a question about what it was like to get the badge. The scout sometimes tells an interesting story that you know he will remember for quite a while.
Troop Library:
Troop 723 has an extensive library of merit badge books available to members of the troop. During any troop meeting, see the troop librarian and ask to borrow a book out of that library. If the troop library does have the book you need check to make sure it is the most recent edition. You check the most recent version by going to this web site: http://www.meritbadge.com/info/revision.htm. Badge requirements can and do change from time to time.
If the library does not have the book you need, then you may have to buy a book from the Scout Shop or by Internet (ScoutStuff Org.).
Scout Shop:
The Scout Shop is an excellent place to purchase a copy of any merit badge book. Cost is about $3.25 each. Call first to determine their hours.
- For a list of scout shops click on scout stores.
ScoutStuff Organization:
This is the national distribution center for Boy Scouts of America and you can order through their web site:
- Go to ScoutStuff Organization and follow these links in order: "Literature" > "Boy Scouting" > "Merit Badge Pamphlets".
Summer Camp:
If your son decides to attend a Boy Scout summer camp, please use the opportunity to acquire merit badges.
- Go to the web site for the particular summer camp and find out what merit badges are being offered.
- After choosing which merit badges the scout wishes to participate in, obtain a copy of the merit badge book. Make sure the book is the current edition (http://www.meritbadge.com/info/revision.htm).
- Obtain a blue card from the Scout Shop or from a troop leader equal to the number of merit badges you think you will be pursuing.
- Approach the troop Scout Master and have him sign a blue card for every merit badge prior to leaving for summer camp.
Recommendation: Go to a store that sells plastic baseball card pages. The pages are about 8 inches by 11 inches and have pockets to slide in baseball trading cards. The sheets have holes so they can be placed into a 3 ring binder. Buy some sheets and place them in a hard binder. As the boy scout completes merit badges, the finished blue cards will be handed back to the scout. Store these cards in the protective plastic sheets. These blue cards must not be lost. It is possible, sometimes, to recreate a lost blue card from troop and merit badge records but it is a real hassle to do so. Protect those blue cards!
Recommended web sites:
http://www.meritbadge.com/home.htm is a one stop web source for merit badge information. This web site is a tour de force. It has everything anyone might need to know about any merit badge. This web site is very large. To help you more quickly navigate its offerings we have tried to pick out some of the more important pages:
- A good basic introduction to the merit badge process: http://www.meritbadge.com/adv/mb-intro.htm
- Merit Badge Worksheets Everything you need to know, step by step,to achieve the merit badge is right here. You can print it out the worksheets as a document file or a pdf file.
(Please note that www.meritbadge.com is not affiliated with the BSA organization and as such is not the definitive source. It does offer a tremendous amount of really good information. Please consult with the BSA web sites for the most accurate and up to date information.)